Bernie Ecclestone last week offered a robust counter-attack against Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo on the issue of F1 financing.
Ecclestone pointed out that the Maranello squad was the last team who ought to be complaining, bearing in mind that they get a special extra slice of the F1 commercial rights cake before the remaining 45 per cent is split up amongst the competing teams.
Bernie and CVC Capital Partners, in their role as the sport's commercial rights holder, keep the rest.
It's been said many times before that the way in which Bernie seized the initiative when it came to shaping the sport's finances three decades ago remains the most remarkably accomplished commercial hijack ever.
Visionary that he is, Bernie could see the commercial possibilities of the F1 business. Then, in his role as president of the Formula One constructors' association and owner of the Brabham team, he sold the other team principals on the deal that made them all supremely rich. And Bernie richer still.
Ironically Ferrari, despite being the richest team both in terms of its own resources and the income streams that flow into its coffers from the sport's commercial rights income, is demanding that Bernie reviews the manner in which this lucrative income is shared around.
My sources tell me there is no chance of any more cash on offer for the
teams until 2013 at the earliest. Bernie thinks that if 10 teams can't get by sharing $450m of annual commercial rights revenue in addition to their sponsorship funding, then they're probably not very good businessmen.
That’s certainly an explosive point of view.
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re: Bernie blasts Ferrari
Oh, come on! I think Andy Warhol's bastard sibling will need every penny he can to finance his next Amazonian bride.
re: Bernie blasts Ferrari
ThwartedEfforts- "Ecclestone is looking more and more like John Pertwee's older sister."
A bit unfair to John Pertwee's sister, I feel.
One of my wishes before I leave this world is to see Bernie Ecclestone consigned to the pages of history. And his number one yes man, Max Mosley.
As to how did Bernie get the control he has - I don't know but I do know that a lot of the BRDC were against him, and this may go some way to explaining his attitude to Silverstone
re: Bernie blasts Ferrari
The only way this sport as its called will be run without confrontation is to make sure the governing body has no financial contacts with the sport ,there should'nt be people running the sport and making billions out of it, when joe public hears of these massive profits for individuals they're going to get very angry indeed.F1 teams are going ti need financial support in the next two years and this money should come out of the seriously rich people who run it, i mean Honda is out and judging by todays news Toyota might follow too, whose next?it could be BMW and if they go its only a matter of time that Ferrari go because it would be deemed a one horse race by the media.No, F1, Bernie Ecclestone and all involved need to think long and hard if they want THEY'RE sport to survive...over to you Bernie !